Boko Haram terrorists raided Darul Jamal, a community in Borno State, on Friday night, killing at least 63 people, including five soldiers.
“At this moment, we have confirmed that 63 people lost their lives, both civilians and military, although the civilian casualties are more. Close to about 60 civilians and five soldiers lost their lives,” Governor Babagana Zulum stated.
Mr Zulum, who confirmed this during a visit to the community on Saturday, said, “It’s very sad; this community was resettled some months ago, and they went about their normal business.”
The governor met with community leaders and called for the deployment of more forest guards to complement the military’s efforts in securing communities.
“We have to take note that the numerical strength of the military is not enough to cover everywhere. So far so good; two sets of forest guards have been trained.
Therefore, one of the solutions that we need to implement immediately is to deploy the trained forest guards to most of the locations that are vulnerable; they will protect the forest and communities,” the governor said.
Babagana Mala, a local who fled with soldiers during the Boko Haram raid in Darul Jamal, told Reuters, “We had been warning the military for three days about Boko Haram gathering near our town, but no action was taken.”
Mr Mala added that the insurgents “overwhelmed the soldiers, who fled with us to Bama.”
Corroborating Mr Mala, the traditional head of Darul Jamal, said bodies had been recovered by Saturday morning, with more residents still missing in the surrounding bush, according to the newspaper.
According to reports, over 20 houses and 10 buses were razed during the attack.
The attack occurred the same day President Bola Tinubu jetted out of the country to Europe for a 10-day working vacation. His government is yet to speak on it.
However, Mr Tinubu-led government is yet to speak on the latest attack that claimed 60 lives, including soldiers.
Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, in a statement on Sunday, condemned “the tragic killing of scores of people, including gallant soldiers, in the recent Boko Haram attack on Darajamal, Borno State. This senseless violence is a painful reminder of the heavy price our people continue to pay in the face of terror.”
Meanwhile, Nigerian Air Force spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame said surveillance revealed militants “fleeing northwards from the town towards nearby bushes” on Friday night.
“In a series of three precise and successive strikes, the fleeing terrorists were decisively engaged, resulting in the neutralisation of over 30 insurgents,” Mr Ejodame said.
